Gail A. Riddle has been elected chairwoman of the board of Cumberland Community Foundation.
Riddle joined the board in 2016 and has served on many committees, including chairing the Robert H. Short Scholars Committee. She is a retired educator who started her career in the classroom at Pine Forest High School. She taught for 27 years in Cumberland County Schools, then was an academically gifted consultant for 19 years.
Riddle served on the board of trustees of Cumberland County Public Library for 13 years and then served on the board of Friends of the Library.
Riddle moved to Fayetteville when she was in high school and graduated from Seventy-First High School, according to a CCF news release. There, she met her husband, Glenn, who is a retired educator. They have been married for 51 years and have one son, Joseph Allen Riddle of Boston.
The Riddles are co-founders of the Durham and Lucy Riddle Scholarship Endowment, created in memory of Glenn Riddle’s parents.
“I feel it is of great importance to give back to a community that has supported you over the years,” Gail Riddle said in the news release. “I serve Cumberland Community Foundation for this reason. It is important to not only serve those who have supported you in the past but also to enhance the quality of life for all who live and work in this community and call it home now and in the future.
“CCF strives to improve all the lives of this diverse community by providing sustainable, impactful opportunities for generations to come,” she added.
Cape Fear Valley Health announces new corporate value, education incentives
Cape Fear Valley Health has added education to its internal values for employees and is implementing education incentives for employees.
The initiative was heralded at multiple ice cream socials held at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and other campuses this month, as well as in internal communications.
“Cape Fear Valley Health has long been a place of learning for multiple allied health professions and other health care students, and we intensified that focus with the addition of our residency program,” said CEO Michael Nagowski. “We’ve seen the value of training health care professionals and continuously learning. As we move forward with our goal of building the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine, we wanted to encapsulate and acknowledge all these things with the addition of this new value.”
As part of the announcement, CFVH created a continuing education fund that sets aside funding each year for employees who can apply for as much as $2,000 every two years for non-degree-seeking continuing education expenses, such as conferences and training. The second change is an increase in tuition assistance payments for degree-seeking employees, to $5,250 a year.
Other education opportunities for employees include:
•Loan assistance.
•Nursing scholarships.
•Internal development.
Vice President Hershey Bell, founding dean of Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine, said the addition of the value is one of the first ways the planned medical school will change the community.
“Working with the leaders here and at Methodist University, we are going to create something that is forever going to change Fayetteville, Cumberland County and the entire southeastern region,” Bell said. “We still have a ways to go before people will start to see the concrete changes the medical school will bring, but this is a fantastic signal to our employees, students and community that we’re committed to bringing educational excellence to all aspects of this health system.”
FTCC Foundation elects officers and welcomes new board members
Four members have been added to the board of Fayetteville Technical Community College Foundation, according to school spokeswoman Catherine Pritchard.
Cody Hopper, Alex Keith, Jamie Terracciano, and Lindsay Whitley were appointed to three-year terms.
Hopper is the owner of the Chick-fil-A franchise at Skibo Square. He has worked for Chick-fil-A since 2010, according to a news release. He attended N.C. State University and Catawba Valley Community College.
Terracciano is an owner of a Fayetteville Jersey Mike’s subs franchise. She received her master’s degree from East Carolina University and previously worked as a speech language pathologist, the release said.
Keith is a real estate appraiser and broker with Tom Keith & Associates. He graduated from Campbell University.
Whitley has been associate superintendent for communications and community engagement for Cumberland County Schools since 2018. He graduated from Concordia University-Portland and Liberty University and received his doctorate from High Point University, the news release said.
Sandy Ammons, the foundation’s executive director, said she looks forward to working with the new board members.
“They each bring unique talents and experiences to the FTCC Foundation board that will help advance the mission of the college and support student success,” said Ammons.
The board also recently elected new officers. Jay Dowdy of Berkshire Hathaway/All American Homes was elected chairman. Dixon Soffe of First Citizens Bank is the vice chair. Donna Dawkins of Holmes Security Systems was elected treasurer, and Whitaker Grannis of Grannis Enterprises as the assistant treasurer, the release said.
SECU Foundation marks milestone in nonprofit funding
RALEIGH — SECU Foundation has reached a significant milestone, surpassing a quarter of a billion dollars in cumulative funding since its establishment in 2004.
At the close of its fiscal year in June, SECU Foundation’s commitment to North Carolina nonprofit agencies tallied more than $258 million in grants and financing in support of education, housing, health care, and human services, according to a news release.
SECU member-owners fund the foundation through a $1 monthly checking account maintenance fee, a strategy known as the Power of a Dollar designed to improve the quality of life in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties.
SECU Foundation has grown to become the largest foundation in the credit union industry. It receives about 150 letters of interest each year from nonprofit and community organizations statewide requesting aid.
The foundation’s largest giving year to-date was fiscal year 2022-23 with grants to 56 nonprofits totaling more than $23 million. Projects included scholarships, affordable housing, homeless shelters, health and wellness programs, and advocacy for children and adults, the release said.
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